The UVM English department is seeking approval from the College of Arts and Sciences for a change in the English major.

Director of undergraduate advising for the English department Prof. Daniel Fogel made this announcement in an email sent out to all CAS students Nov. 5.

He said that he was writing to all students to make sure that each had the “resources” they need to prepare for the upcoming semester, according to the email.

The change requires that new English majors have a “concentration,” which can be in one of four subjects: British and anglophone literary

traditions, American literary traditions, cultural studies and writing.

In addition, Fogel announced the proposal of a new minor in writing.

The proposed minor in writing will be a “rewarding opportunity for intermediate and advanced study of writing, including composition and rhetoric, poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and screen-writing for film, television, and Web,” according to the email.

The minor has to be approved by the board of trustees, but Fogel said that the department is “optimistic” it will be available fall 2016.

The department decided to make this change after a review of English majors at other schools, such as Stanford, Dartmouth and Brown University, according to the email.